A Valois princess turned Queen Margot, she rose through marriage and turmoil to master court intrigue with wit and resilience. Margaret of Valois was born in 1553, the daughter of King Henry II of France and Catherine de' Medici. She grew up amid constant religious conflict and court power struggles, which shaped her life from an early age. In 1572, she married Henry of Navarre in hopes of easing tensions between Catholics and Protestants. The Paris wedding drew many Protestant nobles, but violence soon erupted, culminating in the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre. Henry was forced to convert, and Margaret chose to stand by him. The couple were later confined in the Louvre. After falling out with her brother, King Henry Ⅲ, Margaret was sent to Auvergne under restraint. She eventually broke free of control and managed local affairs. With no children and years of separation, Henry sought a divorce after becoming king of France. After the marriage was annulled, Margaret retained her queenly title and returned to Paris in 1605. She later wrote her Memoirs, recounting court life during the Wars of Religion. Through Alexandre Dumas's novel, she became known to history as Queen Margot.